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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: coach · bat · toast · pitcher · drill · present · clip · jam

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. present — the time now
  4. clip — to cut
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. clip — for paper
  12. drill — the tool
  13. toast — bread
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. bat — the animal
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. present — there
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. drill — army training
  21. clip — a video
  22. present — a gift
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. drill — a practice

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com